# Most effective storage?



## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

I've yet to buy any cc smokes but, when I do I'd like to be prepared. I plan on using 62% rh hf beads but, I'm unsure of the container that is best suited for long term storage. I do plan on putting a few in my humi in case I get tempted (which I'm sure I will) so that I can try some while they're young to have notes to compare after they've had a fair amount of rest. I'm a complete noob in regards to these matters so, I would really appreciate some solid advice on this. Thanks in advance.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

A good quality wood humidor always works....have used 3 of them for decades and I went with beads first and then to Kitty Litter. I've converted completely over to KL because it is inexpensive and works as good if not better than beads. An 8 pound jug has lasted me for 6 years so far in 30 humidors....3 wood humidors...20 Tupperadors and 3 cooleradors and maintenance with KL is pretty non existent as I recharge about 3 times a year.


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Cigary said:


> A good quality wood humidor always works....have used 3 of them for decades and I went with beads first and then to Kitty Litter. I've converted completely over to KL because it is inexpensive and works as good if not better than beads. An 8 pound jug has lasted me for 6 years so far in 30 humidors....3 wood humidors...20 Tupperadors and 3 cooleradors and maintenance with KL is pretty non existent as I recharge about 3 times a year.


Would a quality humidor be better for the long haul because of woods porous nature and, spanish cedars natural ability to ward off insects and mold? 
I ask because I genuinely want to understand the process of long term storage from those who have done this instead of what I can find on random sites that Google provides.

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## Dual-500 (Feb 20, 2012)

^^^ I second Cigary's comments on using KL as it's very low maintenance. I only have to mess with the KL in my Wineador 3 or 4 times a year as well. It holds very steady year round. The cycle works something like this: Right now going into the fall it's about ready for me to spray with distilled water. 2-3 times will get through the winter months, when the gas heat is on, humidity falls off in the house. BTW I installed a whole house HVAC type humidifier a couple of years ago, house doesn't drop below 35% RH in the winter months. Take the bread loaf pans of KL out of the wineador and pour it into a large stainless steel bowl and spritz with a spray bottle while mixing it up. Pour it back into the bread loaf pans and place them back into the bottom of the wineador. As the weather transitions from spring to summer and the HVAC system transitions to air conditioning, it usually means pulling the pans out one at a time for a day or two, sometimes three to dry out. Then it goes through the summer months with no maintenance needed.


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Some pertinent info on this if it makes a difference. Where I live is a humidity nightmare. Outside even in the winter rh is generally 50% or more. Summertime is usually 80% and up. I've not had any issues using a 2 way media to keep my rh consistent.

I'll keep in mind also that if I think I'll try to keep 50 on hand or so that I better go ahead and find a 100 count humi


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## selpo (Nov 4, 2015)

The more important question for you will be the ambient temp, living in florida. If you can have the temp below 75F at all times, the economical way to rest/age your boxes will be an airtight tupperdor with Boveda or KL. I am using Iris weathertight containers and am very happy with them- can store 15-20 boxes in one 41.2 quart container.


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

poppajon75 said:


> Would a quality humidor be better for the long haul because of woods porous nature and, spanish cedars natural ability to ward off insects and mold?
> I ask because I genuinely want to understand the process of long term storage from those who have done this instead of what I can find on random sites that Google provides.
> 
> Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk


Here's what a good humidor will do for you....it transfers the cedar aroma to your cigars over time....the longer the cigars are allowed to marinate inside a good humidor the better the transfer. As good as tupperware tends to work I've found that there is little to no transfer. Generally when using a good humidor it takes a good 6 months or more to get that transfer. As far as what is the better humidifier....it's a toss up...I go with a wood humidor for transfer...tupperware/coolerador/ for storage. They are all good means to store cigars in.


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## Dual-500 (Feb 20, 2012)

^^^ I like that. Nice grounded approach. It's never about one solution being "it". Always trade offs, cost being a biggie, time, space, etc. In the end, one must figure out what their individual objectives are and then tailor a solution that best fits within that framework while not losing sight of personal preferences.


For seasoning/aging, I actually use one gallon size zip lock bags with Boveda packs in them, placed in a Wineador outside the cedar humidor, in the free space. Works fine, then when they are ready, move them into a drawer in the cedar humidor for storage and eventual consumption.


Now that you mention the seasoning/transfer from the cedar wood that occurs, I'm going to pull the wood sheet from the box they come in and place it inside the bag along with cigars and Boveda bag.


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

selpo said:


> The more important question for you will be the ambient temp, living in florida. If you can have the temp below 75F at all times, the economical way to rest/age your boxes will be an airtight tupperdor with Boveda or KL. I am using Iris weathertight containers and am very happy with them- can store 15-20 boxes in one 41.2 quart container.


Temp is definately a concern here. Provided that the thermometer/hygrometers I'm using are accurate I've not seen any temps above 73.5 deg which is closing in on the upper end of safety. My coolidor seems to keep things about 1 deg cooler than my humi. Both I keep in areas that receive no direct sun light.

All great answers to my question and, great information. With just under a year into the hobby my experience is nil with long term storage. Thank you.

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## Bird-Dog (Oct 16, 2009)

Most everything I've got that's designated for aging or long-term resting stays in the original box either in one of my coolerdors or wineador. Tupperdors with cedar trays for near-term. All my old wood humidors are now serving as accessory storage. Works for me. YMMV


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## Dual-500 (Feb 20, 2012)

curmudgeonista said:


> Most everything I've got that's designated for aging or long-term resting stays in the original box either in one of my coolerdors or wineador. Tupperdors with cedar trays for near-term. All my old wood humidors are now serving as accessory storage. Works for me. YMMV


I don't want to Thread Jack here - but we are discussing storage. My first experience into seasoning/marinating/aging, I didn't have enough space in the setup for the boxes, so I used zip lock bags as a work around method. Move forward 2-3 years: Three days ago, a couple of shipments arrived - when the whole box that the Bolivar Belicosos Finos wouldn't fit inside a 1 gallon zip lock bag, I just pulled the smokes out of the box and bagged 'em up like I've been doing. Then, reading tis thread the realization about the wood came, so I went outside to the recycle bin and recovered the cedar from the empty box and put it inside the zip lock bag with cigars and Boveda pack. *Then, and only then did sanity return.* Now I have enough room for long term storage in the full box, just need some zip lock bags that the boxes will fit into. Guess what I ordered? Some 2.5 gallon zip lock bags. Oh yeah, I made another trip outside to the recycle bin and recovered the empty Bolivar box. It's in the Winador awaiting the larger zip lock bags to arrive next week - then, the remaining 23 Bolivar Belicosos Finos & cedar will be reunited into the original box and it placed inside a 2.5 gallon zip lock bag with the Boveda pack.

One step closer to enlightenment! 

BTW: I have a 7 drawer humidor that resides within a 36 bottle compressor/freon cooled converted beverage cooler. The smokes I marinade/season/cure/age are done outside the humidor within the environment of the cooler. Due to RH swings during cooling cycles, I opt to keep them in their own little "environment" with a Boveda pack inside a zip lock bag. With the modifications made to he cooler (temp controller, fans, fan timers) the RH swings during cooling cycles are likely less than a garden variety thermoelectric unit - but, IMO bagging the stogies with an individual Boveda pack is the "best" I can do - and that's what the project was designed for.

Reading through this thread has been informative and real helpful to fine tune my storage process procedures - thanks to you guys for sharing ideas and experience - there's always room to learn more.


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

poppajon75 said:


> I've yet to buy any cc smokes but, when I do I'd like to be prepared. I plan on using 62% rh hf beads but, I'm unsure of the container that is best suited for long term storage. I do plan on putting a few in my humi in case I get tempted (which I'm sure I will) so that I can try some while they're young to have notes to compare after they've had a fair amount of rest. I'm a complete noob in regards to these matters so, I would really appreciate some solid advice on this. Thanks in advance.


A wood environment is always the best IMHO. Buy cigars in cabinets for long term aging. You can slide the lids they are infinitely adjustable to allow airflow. Coolers work but are very tight environments, you must crack them open weekly or the smell of ammonia will nauseate you. Freeze your cigars before storage there are many discussions on this. Good Luck enjoy the hobby.:vs_cool:


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## Cigary (Oct 19, 2007)

TonyBrooklyn said:


> A wood environment is always the best IMHO. Buy cigars in cabinets for long term aging. You can slide the lids they are infinitely adjustable to allow airflow. Coolers work but are very tight environments, you must crack them open weekly or the smell of ammonia will nauseate you. Freeze your cigars before storage there are many discussions on this. Good Luck enjoy the hobby.:vs_cool:


Tony knows his $hit.....I'd follow his advice without question....he's saved me a lot of money by converting me over to KL when it wasn't very popular to use it. :vs_cool:


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

I'd be a fool to ignore it. Even more so when the advice has a strong endorsement. I bet there has been more years experience answering my question than I have years living. 

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## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

poppajon75 said:


> I'd be a fool to ignore it. Even more so when the advice has a strong endorsement. I bet there has been more years experience answering my question than I have years living.
> 
> Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk


Dude.. If I were closer, didn't hate physical contact, and fear law suits and prison....I'd hug you..It's so refreshing to see someone take sage advice and realize decades of experience count for something. 
Thanks you made my day.

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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Through all my years doing trade work and, my love of wrenching on Harleys I've learned more from from old school guys by keeping my mouth shut and, trying to ask pertinent questions. You can't shortcut experience. 


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Cigary said:


> Tony knows his $hit.....I'd follow his advice without question....he's saved me a lot of money by converting me over to KL when it wasn't very popular to use it. :vs_cool:


Thanks Gary:wink2:
I remember that time well i had a thread set up and the forces against me where strong. So strong in fact that pages of info vanished. There was even a scientist who stated that basically the molecular structure was the same for litter and beads. So upset was i that i asked the thread be shut down. With all the pages facts missing it read like a bunch of babbling. This place is so much better since people like yourself have taken over. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart!:vs_cool:


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

@TonyBrooklyn is there a specific brand KL you would recommend?

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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

poppajon75 said:


> @TonyBrooklyn is there a specific brand KL you would recommend?
> 
> Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ultra-Pe...61772&wl11=online&wl12=19668087&wl13=&veh=sem


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

poppajon75 said:


> @TonyBrooklyn is there a specific brand KL you would recommend?
> 
> Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk


Good kitty litter list and bad kitty litter list. (Formerly known as the - Good cat litter list and ? Cigar.com Forum


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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

Thank you very much 

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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

My pleasure best of luck!:wink2:


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

poppajon75 said:


> @TonyBrooklyn is there a specific brand KL you would recommend?
> 
> Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk


Any kl would do as long as it's NOT scented, but go through the list tony posted and you can't go wrong.

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## avitti (Jun 4, 2011)

Regiampiero said:


> Any kl would do as long as it's bit scented, but go through the list tony posted and you can't go wrong.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk


Not sure if the above is a typo or auto correct but i prefer my KL to be unscented


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## Regiampiero (Jan 18, 2013)

avitti said:


> Not sure if the above is a typo or auto correct but i prefer my KL to be unscented


Sorry it was supposed to be not (instead of bit) and good catch. The swipe typing in my galaxy is losing it.

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## poppajon75 (Apr 10, 2016)

I caught on to it. Swipe is the number one reason for my post edits. 

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